Food Trucks Go Digital

We’ve already seen Eu que Fiz help those in Brazilian favelas to start their own catering businesses. Now New York City-based FoodtoEat.com wants to get immigrant workers running food trucks to learn how to use digital technology to boost their businesses.

Founded by 26-year-old Deepti Sharma Kapur, the company is hoping to make ordering online from food trucks as easy as it has become for customers of large restaurants and takeaways. FoodtoEat.com has a large, searchable database of independent food retailers – both small restaurants and food trucks – from which its users are able to order meals for delivery or pick-up without hassle. Rather than relying on footfall, the platform opens up those businesses – which are often run by immigrants or workers without the resources to set themselves up online – to a much larger audience. When a customer makes a payment through the site, a ticket is printed on a GPRS device at the food truck with the order details. Diners can then simply pick up their meal after a short wait. The following interview with Fast Company offers more information about the project: